The 2018 Under Armour All-American Game will take place on January 4, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. EST. Played in Orlando, FL, it will be broadcast on ESPN. Below are the Michigan offerees who will be participating.

Yesterday was the 2017 Under Armour All-American Game, which I was able to sit down and patiently watch for the first time in years. Here I’ve collected some thoughts on the Michigan commits who played, as well as some other relevant guys.

COMMITS

Jaylen Kelly-Powell – S – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: There were reports throughout the week that Kelly-Powell was playing some cornerback and struggling. He ended up playing safety in the game, but he lined up in man coverage on slot receivers at times, too. He didn’t play a great deal, but when he did, he wasn’t great or terrible. He had some decent coverage a couple times and didn’t register on the stat sheet from what I saw.

Kwity Paye – DE – Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken: Paye didn’t start, but he played a fair amount as a rotation guy in the first half. He showed some quickness off the edge and made a TFL when chasing the ball from the back side, though he was unblocked on the play. He also had a QB hurry that forced an incompletion. Paye has some quickness, but he gives up on plays too easily. That happened in practice and in the game. He needs to play with more tenacity. I did not hear about any injuries to him, but for whatever reason, I did not see him in the second half of the game.

The 2017 Under Armour All-American Game will be played on January 1, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. The broadcast will be on ESPN. Here’s a list of Michigan players who have been UA All-Americans over the years (LINK). Here are the players on this year’s respective rosters who have been offered by Michigan:

THOUGHTS ON UNDER ARMOUR ALL-AMERICA GAME
Hartland (WI) Arrowhead offensive lineman Ben Bredeson played right tackle, even though he said he would begin his Michigan career at left guard. Bredeson was mentioned throughout the week as one of the more impressive linemen during practices, and he did a good job for Team Highlight, who won the game in a 27-0 blowout. Team Highlight had the more impressive running game, and they protected the quarterback better than team Armour. Bredeson was able to get to the second level, and he did not look out of place among the nation’s elite players. I think this week was confirmation of his ranking.

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. didn’t get quite the same hype as Bredeson throughout the week, but he was mentioned multiple times for his physicality. I didn’t count snaps, but Bush did not seem to play as much as some other guys. That’s probably a fair allotment of playing time. I think Bush is a good linebacker prospect, but he’s not the type of athlete who outshines a lot of people at these types of events. He’s a guy who needs to get in the weight room and learn a system before he can really be effective, in my opinion.

Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic running back Kareem Walker had a bit of a rough week. Rivals’s Mike Farrell didn’t really mince words when he said that Walker did not look like the #1 running back or the #41 prospect in the country, which…like…duh. I’m not sure how he got that ranking in the first place. That being said, Walker earned the start for the Armour team that included Miles Sanders (Penn State), so he must have done a few things right. One criticism as a senior was Walker’s indecision, and I saw more of that when he got the ball in space, as opposed to when he was running up the middle. It’s tough to gauge players in this type of situation, especially running backs behind a porous offensive line. However, I think I saw confirmation of what I have said previously, that Walker’s not the best back in the class. Sanders is more explosive, Devway Whaley (Arkansas) is more powerful, and B.J. Emmons (Alabama) is more elusive. I still think Walker is a welcome addition to a class and a team that needs help at the running back position.

Hit the jump for several players who committed elsewhere and some random tidbits.